A laundry treating appliance, such as a clothes dryer, typically has a configuration based on a rotating drum that defines a treating chamber in which laundry items are placed for treatment. The clothes dryer may have a controller that implements a number of pre-programmed cycles of operation to remove moisture from the laundry items by the application of heat, typically through a heated air flow. The laundry items may be damaged by the application of excess heat during a cycle of operation if the temperature and/or moisture level of the laundry items increases above a predetermined threshold. In addition, the application of excess heat may be energy inefficient and result in an operating cycle that is longer than necessary.